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There's more differences between the US M3 and the 328i than just the cam profile.... larger displacement motor for starters with slightly higher compression pistons... better breathing exhaust, remapped ECU and larger T-body to name a few things... these all make up for the 47hp deficit.

Thank God you're not a mechanic. The engine and everything are fine where they are. The cams can be swapped in a matter of 2 hours by sliding them out though the front of your head. The problem is... the stock M50 valve springs are not designed to push the higher lift (and higher revving) M3 cams.... very important to change them aswell ($19.00 each x24=$460.00 plus tax) and head removal is recommended for that (not entire engine Jon). Think about it carefully before purchasing the cams alone.

damm..good thing MKgino didnt follow my post...haha, i was thinkin that would it be easier to remove the head while the engine is out? that was my train of thought...i had the picture of a honda DOHC engine when thinkin too..hehe.

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Originally posted by mkgino Oh my mistake I must have misread it somewhere, your probably right, but If id did do a cam swap would it be worth it after all the $$$$ spent, with the gains?? What about reliability after??

You probably didn't misread that, it's just that a lot of B/S is spread around on various sites from people that really don't know what they're talking about. They figure the only difference between the cars are the cams and therefore a cam upgrade should account for the 47hp BMW crank rating. You'd probably get an honest 15hp gain (mostly at top end too).... not the cheapest upgrade for $1500.00 but the logical one in sequence if you've already got all the other bolt-ons done. Reliability? Well, that's probably the best part of this upgrade (as long as the springs are also swapped).

Why talk about shit you DON'T know. Heres some sheets to ponder. Wheel hp is 213 (PowCorr) hmm, that would mean 255hp at the crank. Thats more then quite a few M3s I have dynoed. Now I have a 3.0 with LOTS more power.

also the springs DO NOT need to be swapped. I have been there done that, no more speculation.

Quote:

Originally posted by empowerd

You probably didn't misread that, it's just that a lot of B/S is spread around on various sites from people that really don't know what they're talking about. They figure the only difference between the cars are the cams and therefore a cam upgrade should account for the 47hp BMW crank rating. You'd probably get an honest 15hp gain (mostly at top end too).... not the cheapest upgrade for $1500.00 but the logical one in sequence if you've already got all the other bolt-ons done. Reliability? Well, that's probably the best part of this upgrade (as long as the springs are also swapped).

Originally posted by Scottycs Why talk about shit you DON'T know. Heres some sheets to ponder. Wheel hp is 213 (PowCorr) hmm, that would mean 255hp at the crank. Thats more then quite a few M3s I have dynoed. Now I have a 3.0 with LOTS more power.

also the springs DO NOT need to be swapped. I have been there done that, no more speculation.

First of all... list what's done to the motor.... I bet it's not only M3 cams right? Second, my point is that people expecting to get 40hp just from the cam swap can forget it, i've also seen it done with my own eyes on a dyno... not some computer screen you've posted from a car with unknown mods. My friend has a '93 325is with a chip, filter, headers and exhaust and is putting down 197rwHP with stock cams....you've "got" 213 with M3 cams... that's 16hp more NOT 40! Also, anyone that knows anything about motors will tell you that it's always a good idea to swap stiffer valve springs if you go to a higher lift cam, ever hear of valve float? You can always go the cheap (half-fast) route and leave the stock one in.... it's your waste of time and $$$.

Originally posted by Scottycs Didn't intend it to be. But what he is sayin is false. I dyno cars all day, i know what mods do what. Also I had to shed truth about the cams.

With all due respect (and Im not taking sides here), look at it from my perspective, from someone who doesnt know anything about how an engine works. If everyone could make their 328is as fast as an M3 by just changing the cams, then everyone would do it right?? Mind you a lot of people do it but then why would BMW have even made the 3.2L motor when they could get the same power from a 2.8 with better cams? 40 hp from cams is tough to believe.